Category: 1st Edition Posts

This picture embodies the early development of 20th century Russia. The picture was taken in 1915, close to the shore. At the time of this picture the world was currently beginning early industrialization and locomotive engines were still a rare commodity. Russian railways and train systems were built in the 1850’s which means that this …

1917 was characterized by massive change within Russia. Two revolutions took place in this year: the February revolution and the October Revolution. The February Revolution was triggered by riots over food shortages and bread prices on International Women’s Day. The revolution resulted in Tsar Nicolas II’s abdication, which officially put an end to the Romanov …

In this photo Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii is shown on the right with his dog and two unnamed guards from the Murmansk Railway. If I’m being completely honest the reason this photo caught my attention is that the two guards are giving thumbs up, people in older photos tend to be so stoic that this was … Continue reading Murmansk Railway→

This photograph, taken from the Prokudin-Gorskii collection at the Library of Congress shows the Cathedral of St. Nicholas towering over residential structures in the outskirts of Mozhaisk, an ancient town 68 miles west of Moscow. I chose the photograph because of the striking contrast between the imposing, brightly-colored cathedral and the quaint scene of a … Continue reading Christianity and the Church Before the Revolution

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii. Miraculous Icon of Mother of God-Odigitria in the Mother of God Church, 1912. Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii was a Russian photographer whose claim to fame was his work with color sensitization and three-color photography that led to him photographing Leo Tolstoy in 1908. His vision for his work was to document the Russian Empire systematically … Continue reading Alter of Virgin Mary

In 1910 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii ventured out into the Ural Mountains and captured this picture of the so-called “Guard Dogs”. I hope that Prokudin-Gorskii was being facetious with that title because those dogs do not look particularly interested in guarding anything. The dogs depicted in the picture are Yakutian Laika dogs which are commonly found within the region surrounding …

What is it that makes an empire? The ruler may argue that government and order define one’s realm; however, these are all institutions of the people. Before the troubles that would bring about the Russian Revolution in 1917, Russia was an immensely diverse spread of land that was called home to many different ethnicities, …

From 1909 to 1915 Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii embarked on a journey commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II to capture the Russian empire. With his innovative technique for capturing colored images, Prokudin-Gorskii was able to preserve a world that was beginning to change. In this particular photo, called Three Generations, Prokudin-Gorskii was able to capture a cultural shift …